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The Commoner.
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cratB, no name In Missouri Js now more honored
than that of Joseph W. Folk. '
"Quito apart from his brilliant record in tho
circuit attorney's ofllce, Mr. Folk has stamped
himself as a man of note; in the spring and Bum
mor of 1900 when St. Louis was almost In a state
of civil war on account of tho great street railway
strike, tho striking railroad men requested Mr.
Folk to represent them. He did so, and his ser
vices in arbitrating that great conflict and in re
storing peace to St. Louis wore of inestlmablo
value to tho citizens at largo as well as to tho
strlkors whom ho moro specially represented. Tuo
latest episode which has caused l'olk to be dis
cussed by tho people, is his refusal of a $15,000
home which a committee of citizens tenderod him
as a token of appreciation of his services to tho
irablic. His reasons for refusing, that ho had done
nothing moro than his duty and that it did not
Boom appropriate to receive valuable gifts merely
for having done his duty, were reasons that appeal
to all men of a fino sense of honor; thoy are rea
sons, however, very often overlooked in this com
mercial ago, and Mr. Folk's action becomes con
spicuous when contrasted with the action of some
public mon who have not hesitated to accept
houses or any other gifts tendered them.
"Within tho last few weeks Mr. Folk's probe
has roached out into state affairs and already tho
hoodlers of Jefferson City are preparing to Join
the boodlors from St. Louis, either in the i
tentiary or in hiding in Mexico and other foreign
lands. Tho lieutenant governor of Missouri haa
been forced to resign under tho Folk calcium lighu
and in his written confession ho relates how, dur
ing sessions of the senate, two noted lobbyists at
behind tho lieutenant governor's bench and there
wrote out amendments to bills and sent them into
the senate to bo adopted by their servile tools.
Servility on tho part of tho senators was ob
tained by a liboral dispensation of thousand-dollar
bills. This disgraceful practice made the
office of a Missouri legislator profitable, finan
cially speaking, but it 'is safe to say the practice
will bo discontinued during the remainder of Mr.
Folk's term of office. With aa.it a dozon senators
indicted and on the road to the penitentiary, and
with a circuit attorney absolutely fearless oven of
tho most powerful political .bosses in the state, it
Is not probable that legislators will soon sell their
votes again.
JJJ
The Orator's Preparation.
The editor of The Commoner frequently re
ceives inquiries from young men who ddslre to
prepare themselves for an activo part in tho dis
cussion of public questions, and it Is an economy
of time to answer all at once.
Webster, tho great orator, said of eloquent
that it must exist "in the man, in tho. subject,
and in tho occasion." And then he proceeded to
elaborate tho statement, showing that it was a
combination of high purpose, firm resolve and
dauntless spirit, speaking from overy feature and
reaching tho heart of tho hearer. There are two
things absolutely essential to eloquence. First,
the speaker must know what he is talking about,
and, second, ho must mean what he says. Noth
ing can take the place of knowledge of the sub
ject and earnestness. To those other things can
ho added, such as clearness, of statement, felicity
of expression, aptness in illustration, beauty in
ornamentation and grace in delivery.
Eloquence is heart speaking to heart. There
is no mistaking the cry pf terror or the shout
of joy, and so there is no misunderstanding tho
sincere message that passes from heart to heart.
Tho young man who would fit himself for Teal
Influence in the forum must himself feel deeply
upon the subjects which he discusses, and ha
cannot feel deeply without being in full sym
pathy with those whom he addresses. He must
also he able to give them information which
they do not possess or to state what thoy know
moro forcibly than thoy can state It themselves.
The young man ambitious to stand as the
representative of hiB people not as an official
nominally speaking for them, but as a man
actually voicing their aspirations and giving ut
terance to their hopes such a young man Is ad
vised to read tho address entltlod "Tho People
In Art, Government and Religion," delivered by
George Bancroft at Williams college in 1835. (It
will be found In Volume VII. of Modern Elo
quence, known as Reed's Collection of Speeches).
This oration Is one of tho greatest tributes eve?
paid to tho common people, and it will furnish
not only thought, but inspiration to young men.
It defends not only the rights of the people, but
tho capacity of the people for self-government,
and declares not that "tho people can make
right," but that "the people can discern richt '
This admirable address is referred to because of
the sound advice that It gives to young men, ad
vice that is pertinent in this connection.
Bancroft says: "Let the young aspirants
after glory scatter seeds of truth broadcast on
tho wide bosom of humanity, in the deep fertile
soil of tho public mind. There It will strike root
and spring up and bear a hundred-fold and .bloom
for ages and ripen fruit through remote genera
tions." (This address will be published in full in
The Commoner at an early day.)
Tho difference between a demagogue and a
statesman is that the former advocates what
ho thinks will be popular, regardless of the ef
fect that it may ultimately have upon the peo
ple to whom he appeals; the statesman advocates
what he believes to bo tho best for the country,
regardless of tho immediate effect which it may
have upon himself. One is willing to sacrifice
tho permanent interests of others to advance his
own temporary interests, while the .other is will
ing to sacrifice his own temporary interests to- ad
vance tho public welfare. While the conduct of
the statesman may seem unselfish, and is un
selfish in the usual acceptation of that term, yet
it is really an enlightened selfishness, for no man,
when he takes a broad viow of his own interests,
can afford to accept an advantage which comes
to him at tho expense of his country. The states
man Is building upon a firmer foundation thaa
tho demagogue, and in the end will find a moro
substantial reward for his self-denial than, the
demagogue will be able to secure for himself.
It has been said that the orator, moro than
any one else, needs information upon all sub
jects, for questions that are no longer matters
of controversy can be used as matters of argu
ment, and no one can speak so well of the fu
ture as ho who is well acquainted with the-past,
A knowledge of human nature is necessary to
tho orator. Pope has said that the proper stud7
of mankind is man, and in the study of man .the
heart is tho most interesting as well as the most
Important subject of investigation. He who woull
succeed in public speaking must understand that
a sense of justice is to be found in every heart,
and that that sense of justice is the safest foun-s
dation upon which to build a government. Ban
croft, in the address above referred to, declares
that popular government Is the strongest gov
ernment in the world, because "discarding the
Implements of terror, it dares to rule by moral
force and Has its citadel in tho hear"
Moral courage is indisponsible to tho orator,
A man cannot speak eloquently while he is run
ning from tho enemy; neither can he inspire
courage if his knees smite each other, and thero
in a tremor in his voice. Courage rests upon con
viction; a man has ,no convictions to speak of
who is not willing to endure suffering in support
of them.
The orator must have faith faith in God,
faith In the righteousness of his cause and faith
in the ultimate triumph of the truth. Believing
that right makes might, believing that every
word spoken for truth and every act done in
behalf of truth contributes to the final victorv,
he does his duty, more anxious to help the cause
which he espouses than to enjoy the fruits of
victory.
And, finally, let the ambitious young man un
derstand that he is in duty bound to discard ev
erything which in tho least weakens his strength,
and under obligation to do everything that in
any degree increases his power to do good. Good
habits, therefore, are always important, and may
become vitally so. He can well afford to leave
liquor to those who desire to tickle the throat or
to please the appetite; it will be no help to him
In his effort to advance the welfare of his fel
lows. Ho can even afford to put into books
what others put into tobacco. The volumes pur
erased will adorn his shelves for a lifetime; while
smoke from a cigar is soon lost to sight forever.
He does not need to swear; logic is more con
vincing than oaths. Let him feed his body with
food convenient for it, remembering that food is
only useful Insofar as It strengthens man for
his work; let him train his mind to search for
tho truth, remembering that his power to discern
the truth will increase with the effort to find it.
Let him keep his' heart diligently, for "out of it
are the issues of life." Let him recognize ser
vice as the measure of greatness, and estimate
lifo by Its out-go rather than by Its income. Let
him to himself be true, "and it follows as tho
night tho day, ho cannot then bo false to any
man."
JJJ
Sunday. Reading.
The editor of. The Commoner often receives
inquiries in regard to reading of various kinds'
Some ask for historical works, some inquire about
the best orations, still others are interested in
.VOLUME 3, NUMBER 20,
good reading for children, and not a few are
desirous Of information in regard to subjects of
a moral and religious nature, suitable for con
templation on the Sabbath. In this and in an
article that will appear later, reference will bo
made to books that the editor himself has read
and which ho can commend to those who are in
tent upon making the most of lifo and anxious
for the help which inspiring books give.
Not many weeks ago Mr. Bryan's .attention
was called to a book entitled "The Simple Life,"
written by Charles Wagner, of. France, and pub
lished by McClure, Phillips & Co., of New York.
He secured the book and was not only delighted,
but greatly edified by a perusal of it. Wagner
is an Alsacian by birth, and after the annexation
of his birth place to Germany as a result of the
war, ho removed to France. The book begins
with a biographical note by Grace King, who
traces the life of the author and shows how the
foundations of his later work were laid in the in
struction and environment of his youth.
Wagner has become an apostle of simplicity
and his little book will bring a restful peace to
those who are weary of the superficiality of much
of our social life and intercourse. A reproduction
of the chapter titles of the book will indicate
the scope of the work.
I, Our Complex Life. II. The Essence of Sim
plicity. III. Simplicity of Thought IV. Simplicity-
of Speech. V. Simple Duty. VI. Simple
Needs. VII. Simple Pleasures. .VIII. The Mer
cenary Spirit of Simplicity. IV. Notoriety and
the Inglorious Good. X. -Tne World and the Lite
of the Home. XL Simple Beauty. - XII. Pride
and Simplicity in the Intercourse of Men. XIII.
The Education for Simplicity. XIV. Conclusion.
He shows that our communion with one an
other, instead of being a candid exchange of con
'fidence and good will, tends to become stilted
and insincere man becoming the servant of ma-'
terial things and the victim of a changeless rou-.
tine. He pleads for the development of individ
uality and the cultivation of a frank sincerity.
He points out how the better promptings suffer
suppression and how the recreations that should
be helpful and invigorating have become too
largely dissipations that wear away our strength.
The editor of The Commoner -would.be glad
if he could put this unassuming and. yet invalua
ble little'volume into the hand of: every reader of
his paper yea, into tho hand of every citizen.
Another book quite different in its character
and yet not less readable, is "The Quiet King,"
written by Caroline Atwater Mason and publlshe 1
by the American Baptist Publication society, of
Philadelphia. It is the story of Christ told in
narrative form with a few new characters in
troduced to round out the account presented in
the gospels. The character delineation is most
excellent and the home life of a number of Bible
personages, especially of Mary, Martha and
Lazarus, is interwoven with the travels and ex
periences of the Man of Galilee.
The title, "The Quiet King," is peculiarly ap
propriate and the book can be read with immense
advantage at this time when so many high-minded
and well disposed people are intoxicated with the
glitter and pomp of imperialism and when some
even think they see in a war of conquest a pillar
of fire guiding the hosts of a church militant to a
broader field of labor. v
A study of tthe gentle and consecrated life
and the peaceful methods, of the Nazarene will
tend to substitute Christian ideals for the brutal
conceptions which have glorified national covet
ousness and covered the earth with bloody footprints.
"Get Rich Quick" Schemes.
The guessing contests, which are but iotteries
in disguise, the turf companies and the "get-rlch-quick"
concerns, are giving damaging testi
money against the American people. They could
not flourish but for the people who are trying to
get something for nothing and who adopt gam
bling methods to carry out their purposes. The
turf companies appealed especially to those who
bet on horse races. The managers of these com
panies represented that they had perfected a plan
by which they could Insure winning on a hors
race, and thousands deposited their money and
flrew their weekly returns until the fraud was ex
posed. It was easy for a company to pay 3 per
cent a week, for the principal invested would pay
the dividends for thirty-three weeks, and each
dividend excited tho depositor to new deposits
and interested others through him.
Tho "get-rlch-quicK schemes were worked on
practically the same principle. Some alluring
promises of rich rewards were circulated among
tho greedy and tho Infection spread until th
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